The fertilizer season brings with it the demands on our members to supply and apply hundreds of thousands of tons of nutrients in a short window of time.  IFCA is informed of accidents that occur and more often than not, it is the failure to remember the simple things that are the root cause of many of these accidents, particularly with anhydrous ammonia.  Here are a few reminders:

 

1. Slow down; nurse tanks should not be pulled more than 25 mph.  Speed is consistently the cause of many accidents, it causes whipping of the tanks, stress on the running gears, and difficulty in stopping or slowing the tanks to avoid an accident.

 

2.  Don't forget to chock wheels on transport vehicles, set the brakes when parked, attach safety chains when towing and be a competent attendant when loading and unloading, staying in proximity to the emergency shutdown devices.  Do it every time.  Both nurse tanks and transport accidents could have been prevented by doing these simple things.  A few minutes of preparation can save you a nightmare of regulatory reporting, penalties and unwanted media (and social media) attention on your business. 

 

If you have any questions about ammonia safety or ammonia systems, please call (309) 827-2774 and ask for John Rebholz; John is with the Asmark Institute, a partner with IFCA, and is an expert on anhydrous ammonia systems.